


Bernie Wolfe's First Halloween

by Persiflage



Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bernie Wolfe: World's Okay-est Lesbian, Canon Schmanon, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Holby Halloween Monster Mash 2020, Serena Campbell: Bisexual Extraordinaire, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27298381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: Canon Divergence: Bernie experiences her first Halloween with Serena.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 14
Kudos: 60
Collections: Holby Halloween Monster Mash 2020





	Bernie Wolfe's First Halloween

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sevtacular](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevtacular/gifts).



> Written for the Holby Halloween Monster Mash 2020. Sorry that there's no monsters and quite a bit of domestic fluff in this.

Bernie’s startled when her phone rings just before 11pm and she immediately imagines it’s one of her children urgently needing her help. Instead, when she picks it up off the coffee table, she sees Serena’s name on the screen.

“Serena? Everything all right?”

“You’ll laugh at me,” Serena says.

“Um. Why do you think I’ll laugh at you?” she asks, wondering just how much Shiraz her co-lead has drunk tonight.

“I agreed to watch some Halloween movies with Jason this evening before he went to spend the weekend with Allan and I didn’t think I was affected by them, but now I can hear something making strange noises outside the house and – well –”

“Do you need the big macho army medic to come over and check for monsters and ne’er-do-wells?” Bernie asks in a light, slightly teasing tone.

Serena huffs. “I knew you’d laugh at me.”

“Oh love, I’m not laughing at you. Teasing you, a little bit, but definitely not laughing.” The endearment slips out unbidden and Bernie doesn’t even notice it. “Of course I’ll come over and check that there are no strangers lurking about the house. I can always kip on the sofa if it’ll make you feel better.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Serena says immediately, her tone stern.

Bernie swallows, feeling embarrassed and a little hurt, but before she can find the words to apologise, Serena is speaking again.  
“I’ve got a perfectly usable spare room with a very comfortable bed in it. You can sleep in there.”

Bernie feels a sense of relief at this since she knows her back wouldn’t thank her for sleeping on the sofa. “Okay, then. Text me your address and I’ll come over right away.”

“Thank you, Bernie, you’re a star.”

“What, a big ball of flaming gas?” she retorts, on the verge of laughter.

“Oh shush, you,” Serena says, her tone fond. 

“I’ll be with you shortly,” Bernie promises. “I’ll text you to let you know when I’ve arrived, but I’ll check around outside first, so don’t open the door until I text you again, okay? Just to be on the safe side.”

“Okay. Thank you, Bernie. I do appreciate it. And I’m sorry to drag you away from whatever you were doing.”

Bernie chuckles. “It’ll be your turn to laugh when I tell you,” she says. “But I’ll save it for when I get there. I’ll be with you soon.”

“Thank you.”

It doesn’t take Bernie too long to drive over to Serena’s as the traffic is fairly light at this time of night, fortunately, and since Halloween’s not until tomorrow night there are no groups of children and adults out trick or treating. She finds the imported American custom something of a peculiarity because Halloween was never a thing when she was a child, nor even when her children were actually children, but it seems to have grown in popularity over the last couple of decades. 

Arriving at Serena’s, Bernie sends her a text to let her know she’s arrived. She parks her car behind Serena’s, then switches her phone to mute and vibrate, before climbing out of the car. She has a large torch that’s covered in rubber which she carries in the car and she pulls it from the passenger seat, but leaves her kitbag where it is for now. She switches on the torch, then begins a careful sweep of Serena’s garden – the house is detached and has quite a large plot of land surrounding it, and because Serena likes to garden, there are ornamental bushes here and there, and quite a few large fir trees that serve to fence the property in along two sides and across the bottom of the garden.

She searches the garden thoroughly and finds no sign of intruders apart from what looks like a fox’s earth at the far end of the garden, in the corner where the two rows of fir trees meet up. The earth is empty but there’s a strong scent of fox around it, suggesting that the strange noises Serena heard might have been foxes mating.

Bernie makes her way back to her car and deposits the torch back on the passenger seat, then grabs her kitbag. She pulls out her phone and texts Serena with ‘All clear’, then walks up the drive to the front door, which is immediately opened.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Serena says as soon as Bernie’s stepped into the hallway. “I feel like such an idiot.”

“Hey, don’t do that,” Bernie says, dropping her kitbag to the floor and, in a rare display of tactility, pulling Serena into a hug. “You have nothing to apologise for and you have no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed. I don’t mind in the least.” 

She gives Serena a squeeze, then unbuttons her long black wool coat, which Serena immediately tries to take from her.

“One second,” she says and unwinds her long green wool scarf from her neck. She shoves it into one pocket of her coat, then peels off her leather driving gloves and her knitted beanie, which Charlotte made her about three years ago, and shoves them into her other coat pocket. “Thanks.”

Serena hangs her coat up as Bernie unzips her leather ankle boots, leaving them under her coat at her friend’s direction. 

“Leave your bag there,” Serena says, “and I’ll show you to the guest room shortly. Can I offer you a nightcap or something else to drink?”

“Just some water will be fine, thank you.” Bernie chuckles. “I promised to tell you what I was doing when you rang me.”

“You did,” Serena agrees, leading her down the hall and into a huge kitchen with all mod cons.

“I was drinking a mug of cocoa and reading the latest issue of _The Lancet_.” Bernie smirks at Serena. “That was my incredibly wild night that you interrupted.”

Serena laughs, throwing her head back, and Bernie swallows at the sight, then ducks her head before her friend can catch her staring.

“Well, Major, you’re my hero for coming over and checking that I wasn’t about to be overrun by a horde of zombies.”

Bernie chuckles. “Actually, I think what you might have heard were foxes mating as there’s a fox’s earth at the far end of the garden, in one corner where your two rows of fir trees meet, and the scent of fox was very strong there when I looked.”

“You know what foxes smell like?” Serena asks, sounding surprised. She opens a cupboard and gets out a tall glass, then fills it with chilled water from the fridge. She sets it down on a coaster on the table, then gestures for Bernie to take a seat, which she does as Serena sits opposite her.

“I do. Both sets of my grandparents lived in the countryside, and my maternal grandfather, in particular, used to take me on nature walks when I stayed with them during school holidays. I’m fairly sure I can still identify any number of birds’ and animals’ nests and dens, not to mention trees, wildflowers, and fungi.”

“Well, aren’t you full of surprises?” Serena looks positively astonished by this revelation. “You should talk to Jason, that’s the sort of thing he’d love to know.”

“I wouldn’t mind taking him on a nature walk, if it’s the sort of thing he’d enjoy. I never really got the chance to with my children, being away so much.”

Bernie can’t help feeling a little melancholy at the thought and is surprised when Serena reaches out and covers her hand with her own, giving it a brief squeeze.

“I think he’d enjoy it a lot. You should ask him.”

“I will.”

“Can I offer you a snack?” Serena asks.

Bernie shakes her head. “If I eat this late I’ll just get indigestion and sleep badly in consequence.”

“Okay. Well let me know when you’re –”

Bernie yawns, doing her best to stifle it with the back of her hand, and Serena chuckles. 

“I was going to say let me know when you’re ready to get some sleep, but I believe you’ve just answered that question.”

Bernie nods. “Yes, sorry. Long day.”

Serena had had the day off, so Bernie had held the fort on AAU on her own. “Then I’m even more sorry that I dragged you over here for nothing.”

“Don’t be daft,” Bernie says, getting to her feet. “I wouldn’t have come if I’d minded doing so. Besides, I promised to always have your back.”

Serena smiles uncertainly. “On the ward, maybe.”

“Any time, Serena,” Bernie tells her firmly. “Whether you need me to deal with awkward patients or Board members, or stand between you and a ravening horde of zombies.”

Serena chuckles. “You’re quite ridiculous.”

Bernie snorts. “You started it, Campbell.”

Serena shakes her head. “C’mon, soldier, let me show you where you’re going to be pitching your tent tonight.”

Bernie laughs softly. “Now who’s being ridiculous?” she asks. She grabs her kitbag and heaves it onto her shoulder, then follows Serena upstairs.

The room Serena leads her into is spacious with a mid-blue colour scheme that’s prevented from appearing too cool by the use of yellow accents around the room. For Bernie, however, the only thing that really matters is the large double bed.

“The bathroom is directly across the landing from your room,” Serena tells her as Bernie drops her kitbag beside the bed. “My room’s at the end of the landing, on the left as you go out of this room. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable, thank you.”

Serena pats her on the arm, then lets herself out of the room, and Bernie shoves her yearning into the box in the back of her mind where she keeps all her inconvenient feelings (and if too many of them are about Serena lately, that’s no one’s business but her own), and focuses her attention on pulling her toiletries bag and her sleepwear from her kitbag. She notices that Serena’s left her a neat pile of clean towels on the end of the bed, so she gathers them up and takes them into the bathroom to grab a shower before she sleeps.

Of course, she doesn’t consider that her habit of wandering her own flat with only a towel wrapped around her and another wrapped around her hair, is hardly a good move when in someone else’s home, and she walks out of the bathroom after taking her shower and nearly walks smack into Serena, startling them both. 

“Oh god, Serena! I’m sorry, I didn’t think!”

“That – that’s okay. Not your fault. I – um – I j-just realised that I forgot to ask you what you wanted for breakfast?” Serena slides her pendant back and forth along the chain, which Bernie knows means she’s nervous.

“Give me one second to put on some clothes,” Bernie says and practically dives into her room, shoving the door closed behind her. She swiftly unwinds the bath sheet from around her body and pulls on the pair of grey jogging trousers and the white vest top she usually wears in bed. Then she takes a couple of deep breaths before opening her door again. 

“S-so s-sorry about that,” she stutters, blushing furiously. “I completely forgot I wasn’t at home.”

“It’s fine,” Serena says in a soothing tone. “It’s not as if you were naked.”

Bernie blushes even more fiercely as she thinks about how she wouldn’t mind being naked with Serena, provided she didn’t mind either. “About – um – about breakfast. Tea and toast is fine. You don’t need to go to any great trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Jason and I usually have scrambled eggs on toast with sausages and fried tomatoes on a Saturday morning. It was –” She pauses, looking sad, and Bernie can’t help reaching out to gently squeeze her upper arm. “It was Marjorie’s weekend treat for them both, and it’s a tradition I’ve continued for him. I’m quite happy to make it for us both tomorrow if you’d like?”

“I’ll pass on the tomatoes, if you don’t mind,” Bernie says, “but otherwise, I’d be happy to share in Jason’s family tradition.”

“Good. Well, goodnight then.”

“Goodnight, Serena.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Bernie wakes up the following morning she has an awful blank moment of not knowing where she is, wondering, briefly and horribly, if she’d gone home with someone the night before, then it all comes back in a rush: Serena’s worried phone call, the search for intruders in her garden, and spending the night. She flushes when she remembers the Bathroom Incident, then stifles a groan into her pillow as she recalls how sensuous Serena had looked in a burgundy silk nightdress and matching robe. She feels a throb of desire between her legs and clenches her lower body tight in an effort to stave it off. Thinking about Serena in that way will not do her any good: her friend and co-lead is a dyed in the wool heterosexual, and that’s all there is to it.

She rolls over and grabs her phone to check the time, then grunts when she sees it’s 6am. She’s wide awake and she cannot go for a run without risking disturbing Serena, if not when she goes out, then when she returns since she obviously doesn’t have a key. She huffs in annoyance, then rolls onto her stomach again, pulling the pillow over her head in the hope of going back to sleep. 

Twenty minutes later she tugs the pillow back off and rolls over onto her back. She sits up, stretches a bit, then climbs out of bed. She cannot go out for a run, but she can go and exercise in Serena’s back garden if she props the back door open in some fashion. 

She changes out of her sleep wear into a pair of boxer shorts and a bra, then pulls on a pair of navy lycra shorts and a grey t-shirt. She tugs on some socks, then laces her trainers onto her feet, before taking her hand weights from her bag. Then she makes her way downstairs, grabs a glass of water from the fridge, then crosses to the back door. She is pleased to note that she can easily leave it unlocked, so she takes her glass of water with her and leaves it on the patio table before beginning some gentle warm up exercises.

She’s worked her way through planks, squats, and push-ups, and is doing some bicep curls when a familiar voice remarks, “You’re quite the sight for sore eyes, you know.”

Bernie’s startled, but she contains her surprise and doesn’t drop the small weights in her hands when Serena’s speaks. “If you say so, Campbell.”

“Oh, but I do.” Serena chuckles. “How long have you been out here?”

Bernie squints up at the sky which is just beginning to lighten. “About an hour? I came out around 6.30.”

“It’s just before 7.30.”

“Ah. Good time to stop, then.” Bernie sets down the weights, then does some stretches to help her to cool down, before gathering the weights up again and crossing back to the patio. She collects her empty glass, then moves to the door, against which Serena’s leaning, still in her nightgown and robe, a pair of fluffy burgundy mule slippers on her feet.

“May I come in?” Bernie asks when Serena shows little sign of moving.

“Of course.” She steps aside, but not all the way clear of the door, meaning that Bernie finds herself in close proximity to Serena as she steps into the kitchen. 

Bernie swallows once she clears the doorway, then says huskily. “I’m going to grab a shower, if that’s okay, and get changed.”

“I’ll get you some towels,” Serena says, and Bernie follows her out of the kitchen, leaving her glass on the counter by the sink, then upstairs. 

Bernie goes into her room to put her weights back in her kitbag, then pulls out a clean shirt to wear with her jeans from the evening before.

“Towels,” Serena says, and her voice seems as husky as Bernie’s had been a few minutes ago.

“Thank you.” Bernie puts one hand on top of the stack, being careful to avoid putting her hand on Serena’s, then brings her other hand underneath the stack. She’s a little startled by the jolt of electricity that seems to spark from her hand to Serena’s as her friend moves her hand away. She swallows hard, then turns away from Serena before she does something entirely rash and foolish, such as pin her friend to the door frame and kiss her senseless.

“I’ll go and make a start on breakfast,” Serena says. “Tea or coffee?”

“Tea, please. And, uh, if you’ve got some, orange juice? Doesn’t have to be a big glass full or anything.”

“I can do you orange juice as well as tea. Don’t be long in the shower or your breakfast will get cold.”

“Duly noted,” Bernie says and gathers up her toiletries bag and her clothes, then she crosses into the bathroom as Serena heads for her own room. 

Bernie doesn’t hang about in the shower, or in getting dressed afterwards. She drops her wet towels into the clothes hamper in the corner of the bathroom, which she notes is half full already, then she pads, sock clad, into her room to drop her toiletries kit into her kitbag. She quickly adds her t-shirt and trousers that she wore while working out and is about to add her nightwear when Serena shouts her name. She leaves the trousers and vest top on the corner of her bed and heads downstairs.

“Sorry,” she says a little breathlessly. “I just thought I’d get my stuff into my kitbag, ready to go home.”

“It’s fine,” Serena assures her, giving her a bright smile, then a very obvious up-and-down examination, clearly taking in Bernie’s usual skinny jeans, and her forest green long sleeve shirt, which she’s wearing over a black vest top. She nods, in what Bernie assumes is approval. “Take a seat.”

She obeys, sitting in the same chair as the evening before, noting a tumbler half filled with orange juice sitting on a coaster alongside her place mat. There’s a second coaster holding a mug, presumably for the tea that’s busy brewing in a tea cosy covered teapot. Serena sets a toast rack down between Bernie’s place setting and her own, then goes to grab a saucepan from the hob. 

“Do you usually butter your toast?” she asks as Bernie puts two slices of toast on her plate.

“No, do you? I can butter yours if you like?”

“Please.”

Bernie grabs the other two slices of toast and butters them both, then holds out her plate and Serena moves them, one at a time, onto her own plate, then spoons out the scrambled egg between their slices of toast. She returns the empty saucepan to the counter beside the sink, then brings the frying pan over. 

“Two sausages or three? I bet you could eat three, after that workout.”

Bernie chuckles. “Go on, then. You’re spoiling me, though, you know.”

“You’re worth it,” Serena assures her, setting three sausages on Bernie’s plate. She adds two to her own plate, and some slices of fried tomato. “Tuck in.”

Bernie nods. “Thank you, for this.”

“Least I could do after dragging you over here last night on a fool’s errand.”

“I honestly didn’t mind,” Bernie says truthfully, then begins to eat.

Serena’s put the radio on – a station that’s playing pop music she recognises from her childhood though she’d be hard pressed to name any of the bands or singers that she hears – and they eat in a companionable silence with the music on low in the background.

“Do you have any plans for today?” Serena asks once they’ve cleared their plates and are drinking their tea.

“Laundry,” Bernie says. “And I’d better go and get some groceries in, too. You?”

“The same. Although I’m going out trick-or-treating tonight.”

“You are?” Bernie says, surprised.

Serena chuckles. “I’m taking the Fletchlings out so that Raf and Fletch can have a quiet night in. You’re welcome to come along if you think you could bear it?”

“I – well, I’ve never been trick-or-treating before, but yes, why not? If you’re sure the children won’t mind?”

“I’m quite sure. Mikey’s developed quite a soft spot for you. You know he refers to you as ‘the blonde job’?”

Bernie snorts. “No, I did not know that. I’m not sure I approve.”

“Well, I’ll concede it’s a bit rude, but at the same time, he’s taken the trouble to give you a nickname of sorts. Which signifies approval, I think.”

“I’ll take your word for it. What time are you going out with the Fletchlings?”

“We’re starting at 6pm so that Ella and Theo can go too. I thought – if you’d like to – you could come over and I’ll drive us over to Raf’s, then when we’re done, you could come back here and have a bit of supper with me? And, um, well you could sleep over again. But only if you want to?”

Bernie’s quite sure she ought to say no, to say that she’ll make her own way to and from Raf’s, but she cannot refuse that hopeful look in Serena’s eye, nor can she deny to herself that she’ll take pleasure in her friend’s company.

“I’d like that, thank you.”

“Good. Why don’t you come over some time after 5pm, then we can drive over to Raf’s and see if he and Fletch need any help in getting the kids into their costumes?”

“Okay. Um, should I wear a costume?”

“Have you got one?”

Bernie huffs a laugh, “No, but I’m going into the city centre to do some shopping so hopefully I can scare something up.”

“Well, I hope so since it’s a bit late in the day to find one. Obviously, that’s not your fault since you had no idea you’d need one. Look, if you don’t find something, let me know and I’ll see what I can find for you to wear.”

“Okay.” Bernie’s not really sure anything Serena owns would fit her given their disparate sizes, but she’s not about to say so.

Since Serena refuses to let Bernie help with clearing up after breakfast, insisting that she’ll load the dishwasher, then put it on this evening after supper, she makes her way upstairs to finish packing her kitbag, then carries it downstairs and sets it by the front door while she pulls on her boots, then shrugs into her coat.

“I’ll see you later, then,” Serena says, appearing as if summoned just as Bernie finishes buttoning up her coat.

“I’ll be here. And I’ll let you know about the costume.”

Serena smiles. “Good luck with finding something.”

“Thank you.” She’s a little surprised when Serena bestows a swift kiss to her cheek, but only a little.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bernie finds a costume she’s comfortable with in the second costume shop she tries, and she can’t help smiling a bit when she considers what Serena’s reaction to it might be.

She gets to Serena’s at 5.15pm and brings her kitbag in from her car, which she leaves parked on the road so that her friend can get her own car out of the drive when they go back out. She carries a garment carrier, too, which holds the main part of her costume.

Serena greets her with a bright smile and even brighter eyes when she opens the door to Bernie. “Hello, you,” she says in a fond tone, before pressing her lips to Bernie’s cheek.

She wonders if she should bring it up, the kiss on the cheek thing, then decides that she won’t as she doesn’t want Serena to stop. Of course, she’d far rather Serena was kissing her on the mouth, but she knows that’s not going to happen, so she’ll settle for the little she can get, rather than what she cannot have at all. (She tries to remember who it was who said, ‘Half a loaf is better than none’.)

“Do you want a drink – tea, coffee, water?” Serena asks as Bernie sheds her coat, scarf, beanie, and boots.

“No, thank you.”

“Alright. I guess we should get changed into our costumes then we can get going.” Serena eyes Bernie’s garment carrier. “When you texted, you didn’t say what you’d found to wear.”

“Didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” Bernie says, smirking a little because she knows Serena really wants to know. “You can surely wait the few minutes it’ll take me to change, can’t you?”

Serena huffs a laugh. “I suppose so.”

“Good.” She pats Serena’s arse lightly. “Buck up, Campbell, or we’ll be late for the Fletchlings.”

“Cheeky!” Serena exclaims, then she grabs hold of the rail and makes her way upstairs, Bernie following close behind with her kitbag and her garment carrier. 

“You can have the same room as last night,” her friend says.

“Thanks.” Bernie disappears into her room, dropping her kitbag on the floor, then hanging up the garment carrier by the coat hanger handle. She tugs on the two side zips so that the carrier unfolds and drops to its full length, then she unfastens the zip down the middle of the fabric to reveal her costume. She grins, before she turns to the bed, shedding her black wool sweater and the navy shirt with a thin white check, which she leaves draped over the end of the bed. Then she pulls the underlayers for her costume out of her kitbag. Since she cannot really wear a coat over her costume, she’s decided to wear layers under it: first there’s a white vest top, then there’s a white V-neck t-shirt, then she pulls on the top part of her costume. She gets to keep her skinny jeans, which is pleasing. She adds the final item, pinning it carefully in place, then she turns towards the mirror on the outside of the wardrobe and takes a look at herself.

“Mm, not bad,” she murmurs in satisfaction. She just hopes she won’t be too cold.

She zippers the garment carrier closed, then checks she has everything she might need: her phone, wallet, and keys are all in the usual pockets of her jeans.

“Bernie? I need a hand,” Serena calls, sounding frustrated.

She turns out her light, then makes her way along the landing feeling somewhat nervous about entering Serena’s bedroom. She knocks lightly on the door frame.

“Come in, please.”

She pushes the door open, then has to swallow hard at the sight of Serena in an off-the-shoulder dress with a pumpkin orange skirt and a black bodice. Printed on the skirt of the dress are black silhouettes of buildings, with bats and witches’ hats flying across the sky. Serena’s also wearing sheer black stockings and has made up her face to look very pale with just a drop of blood outlined by the left corner of her mouth. In a box on the dressing table where Serena’s sitting are some fake, blood-stained fangs.

“The zip’s stuck,” Serena tells Bernie as she treads over to the dressing table.

“Okay.” Bernie leans in close, peering at the practically invisible zipper and finds the tiny tab. She grasps it between the index finger and thumb of her right hand, then carefully slides her left hand behind the fabric to hold it steady while she pulls the zip up. Serena shivers and Bernie wonders if it’s because of the touch, however light, of the back of her hand against the nape of her neck. “Got it,” she mutters, drawing the tab up and closing the zip.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You’re looking very vampirish,” Bernie observes.

“As are you,” Serena notes, twisting around to look directly at Bernie instead of her reflection. “Funny how we came up with the vampire theme without any discussion beforehand.” She rakes Bernie’s body with a rather heated gaze, Bernie thinks, as she takes in the white satin-y shirt with ruffles down the front, the black fitted waistcoat that’s actually sewn onto the shirt, the bat shaped cufflinks in the shirt sleeves, and the black cape with a red lining that’s attached to Bernie’s shoulders. “Are you going to be warm enough?”

Bernie smirks, which elicits a raised eyebrow. “Warmer than you, I wager,” she says, and unbuttons the top of the shirt so that Serena can see her t-shirt. “I’ve got a vest top underneath that, too.” She gazes at her friend. “Do you want to borrow my cape?”

Serena gives her a tender smile. “Very gallant of you, Major, but it would spoil the effect of your costume to lose it. Besides, I have a cape of my own.” She gestures at her wardrobe and Bernie turns to see a thick black wool cape hanging from a coat hanger hooked to the top of the wardrobe. 

She moves closer and sees that it will spread wide, like her own cape, and that there’s a fastener that will rest at the base of Serena’s throat, with a button on either end.

“It’s even got a hood,” Serena says from behind Bernie’s shoulder. She reaches past Bernie and unhooks the hanger, turning it for her to see the folds of the hood. “It’s very warm.” 

She seems to breathe these words against Bernie’s ear and the blonde finds herself very aware of Serena’s breasts practically pressing against her back as she stretches to hook the coat hanger back onto the top of the wardrobe. Bernie doesn’t realise that she’s holding her breath until she feels slightly dizzy, then she exhales heavily, trying to do it quietly so that Serena won’t notice.  
She feels her friend step back and takes a couple of deep breaths, then turns around and sees that Serena has donned the cape. 

“That looks very good on you,” Bernie observes, admiring the way the cape falls open so that the front of Serena’s dress is clearly visible.

“Thank you.” Serena twirls and Bernie swallows at the way the dress, which flares out from her waist, lifts, thereby showing off her stocking clad calves in such a way that she wants to run her hands up Serena’s legs from her ankles to her thighs. “Now, I think you need a little make up to finish your look.”

Bernie frowns. “Make up?”

“Yes. A bit of a blood drop at the corner of your mouth, like mine. Do you have any fangs?”

Bernie nods and draws the box from the pocket of her jeans. “I thought I’d wait until we were out with the Fletchlings to put them in.”

“A good point,” Serena agrees. “Do you mind putting mine in your pocket, too?”

Bernie shakes her head, then accepts the box from Serena and slides it into her left pocket before returning her own box to her right pocket.

She looks up to see Serena staring at her, rather avidly. “Okay?” she asks.

Serena’s gaze snaps up to her face. “Yes, of course. I was just wondering how on Earth you manage to get anything into your pockets given those jeans are practically painted on.”

Bernie can’t help smirking again. “Practice, Campbell.”

Serena shakes her head, then gestures at the stool in front of her dressing table. “Take a seat and I’ll do your blood drop.”

Bernie obeys, swallowing convulsively when Serena leans in close, her left hand holding her jaw steady as she outlines, then fills in, the drop of blood near the right corner of her mouth. She has to keep her eyes closed to stop herself from looking down the front of Serena’s dress and the scent of her perfume that wafts around Bernie definitely don’t help. She feels as if her head’s spinning with the intensity of her desire for the other woman.

“There, all done.”

“Thank you,” Bernie husks.

“Right, let’s get going or we’ll be late to collect the Fletchlings.”

“I’m all yours,” Bernie says, then realises she should have phrased that differently by the heated look in Serena’s eyes. 

“Oh, I do hope so, Major.” Serena slides a hand along Bernie’s arm, then clasps her wrist and tugs lightly. “Come on.”

Bernie allows herself to be led out of Serena’s bedroom (feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment at their departure), then follows the brunette downstairs. She can’t help wondering if she’s made a mistake in agreeing to this, but it’s far too late to back out now. She can only hope she survives with her heart intact.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their costumes prove a huge hit with the Fletchlings, especially since Theo and Ella are wearing bat onesies, with fabric wings that are attached to their wrists and waists. Evie is wearing a witch costume from a film that Bernie doesn’t recognise, but Serena whispers is _Maleficent_. Mikey is dressed in a werewolf costume, which he says he picked for her.

“You never did,” Bernie says disbelievingly. “I didn’t even know that I was going to be here until this morning.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here, but I still picked it for you.”

Bernie shakes her head with a soft laugh. “You’re definitely your dad’s son,” she says and when Mikey frowns at her, she adds, “You’re very cheeky, just like your dad.”

Mikey struts around, looking smug, and Bernie shakes her head slightly. 

Ella toddles up to her and wraps her arms around Bernie’s left knee, so she crouches down and asks, “Want a lift, little one?”

“‘es.”

“Okay, then.” She scoops up the girl who shrieks with laughter, then smiles a little self-consciously at Serena, who is giving her what appears suspiciously like an adoring look. 

“Thanks for doing this, Major,” Fletch says, appearing from the kitchen with four orange, pumpkin-shaped buckets that he hands over. “We really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Fletch.” She turns to the two older children and Serena, who has Theo perched on her hip. “Right then, troops, fall in.” She barks the words in her best Major manner and then has to bite her lip to stop herself laughing at the array of sloppy salutes her words garner. 

She leads the way outside and hears Evie whispering something to Serena, to whom she’s attached herself. Mikey, on the other hand, is back to strutting at her side, and they set off down the pavement with determination.

Raf’s house is in a cul-de-sac with a quite surprising number of houses crammed into it, or so it seems to Bernie as they make their way from house to house collecting sweets and bars of chocolate from each householder. 

One old lady, Mrs Raymond, insists on them having a seat on her porch, which she has readied for the occasion with carved pumpkins, plastic bats and spider webs, a tall, gangling skeleton that appears to be the genuine article (somewhat to Bernie’s alarm, though Serena tells her later that it’s been 3D-printed), and several deckchairs. She disappears into the house and comes back shortly with a tray full of mugs, which Bernie immediately hurries to take from her.

“Oh, thank you, my dear. You’re a very sweet Vampire.”

Bernie manages not to laugh in response to this and concentrates on carrying the tray of drinks without dropping it. 

“It’s Ghoulish Hot Chocolate, dear,” Mrs Raymond tells her. “Just white hot chocolate dyed green with a bit of food colouring.”

“It’s very impressive,” Bernie tells her. The mugs are filled with the drink, then topped with whipped cream into which two fake eyes have been dropped, and from which a green and white striped straw protrudes. There’s also a saucer holding green and white striped mint flavoured candy canes.

Everyone’s sitting nicely on the deckchairs when the two women arrive, and Mrs Raymond asks Bernie to ‘be Mother’ and pass the tray around. She starts with Mikey, who’s looking a bit fidgety, then moves on to Evie and Ella, then Serena and Theo, before taking her own mug and the final candy cane from the tray. Mrs Raymond takes the tray, then gestures for Bernie to take a seat.

“Now then children, have you all been good girls and boys?”

There’s an enthusiastic chorus of assent and Bernie buries her face in her mug when Mrs Raymond gives Mikey a piercing look and the young werewolf shuffles a bit in his seat, then says, “Mostly, Mrs Raymond.”

“Good! Then you shall have treats!” 

She bustles back inside, and Bernie can’t help leaning towards Serena to ask, “Does she do this every year?”

“Oh yes. She used to be Headmistress of the nearby primary school and she’s been doing this for the last few years since her husband passed away.”

“I see.”

Mrs Raymond re-appears with a hessian shopping bag with a witch’s hat printed on it, from which she proceeds to hand out gifts to all four of the Fletchlings. Bernie judges that they’re books, although they’re all covered in pumpkin and black cat patterned wrapping paper. She then hands out bags of Milky Bar buttons and the children thank her, depositing their gifts into their buckets before they set off to the next house. 

Bernie finds her wrist being clasped as they others make their way down the steps and onto the garden path and she turns to the old lady with a smile. “Can I help you, Mrs Raymond?”

“You seem like a strong, capable woman,” the old lady says. “Promise me you’ll take care of Serena? That one insists on carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and suffers for it in silence.”

“Don’t worry,” Bernie says firmly. “I’ll look after her.”

“Good. You’re a good woman.”

“So are you, Mrs Raymond.” Bernie leans in and presses a kiss to her cheek, not something she’d ordinarily do, but the old lady’s concern for Serena makes her spontaneous for once.

“Well, aren’t you a charmer?” Bernie can’t be entirely sure, but she thinks the old lady is blushing. “Go on with you, now.”

“Thank you, Mrs Raymond.” Bernie jogs down the steps and up the garden path to find Serena and the children are gathered in a huddle just past Mrs Raymond’s front gate.

“Alright?” Serena asks.

“Alright,” Bernie agrees, then scoops up Ella again. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It’s a little after eight o’clock by the time Bernie and Serena get back to Serena’s house as they decided to stop en route to buy take away, and Bernie carries the paper sacks full of Thai food into the kitchen, then returns to the hall to rid herself of her boots and cape. Serena’s just shed her own cape and her kitten heel shoes when Bernie arrives.

“Wine?” the brunette asks.

“Yes please.”

They adjourn to the kitchen and Bernie unloads the cartons of food from the sacks while Serena opens a bottle of wine, then gets out plates, cutlery, napkins, and wine glasses. They serve themselves quickly, passing the containers back and forth until their plates are loaded. Serena picks up her glass and tilts it towards Bernie, who grabs her own glass, then chinks it against Serena’s. 

“To the friends who always have your back.”

Bernie echoes the toast, then they eat, mostly in a companionable silence. She finds herself relaxing in the warmth of Serena’s presence and feels as if her home is a cocoon keeping them safe from the world.

“What did Mrs Raymond want?” Serena asks as they sit finishing their wine, their plates empty and most of the cartons of food, too.

“To ask me to take care of you,” Bernie says. “She said you insist on carrying the weight of the world on your own shoulders and suffering for it in silence.”

“And what did you say?”

“I promised her that I would. I didn’t tell her that I’d already promised you that I’d always have your back.”

“You’re very sweet.”

Bernie chuckles softly. “So Mrs Raymond informed me.” She finishes her wine, then gets up and begins clearing the table, stacking the empty food containers by the sink, then carrying over her plate, glass, and cutlery.

“Do you want some tea or coffee?” Serena asks, bringing her own glass, plate, and cutlery over as Bernie begins running hot water into the washing up bowl.

“No, thank you.”

“You don’t have to wash up, you know. I’ve got a dishwasher.”

Bernie gives her a smile. “It’s fine, Serena. Why don’t you go and sit down. This’ll only take a few minutes to do and I just leave it on the dish drainer to drip dry.”

“Thank you.” Serena presses against Bernie’s side and she takes a moment to wrap her arm briefly against the other woman. 

“Someone’s feeling cuddly tonight,” she teases, before making a start on the washing up.

“Can I let you into a secret?”

“Of course you can, Serena. Any secret you tell me is safe with me.” Bernie feels her stomach tighten and her heart seems to have arrived in her throat as she worries about what the secret is that Serena’s going to tell her.

“I like you. No, I more than like you.” Serena leans in again and says in a very low, sultry voice. “I like you enough to want to kiss you.”

Bernie swallows her heart back into her chest, now thumping wildly, then she inhales and exhales deeply. “Serena,” she says, her voice coming out all husky, entirely without her permission. “I more than like you, too. I – um – I’ve liked you like that since the first day we met, and I would very much like to kiss you, too.”

Serena clasps her upper arms and turns Bernie towards herself. “Good,” she breathes. “That’s very good.” Then she leans up and gently presses her mouth to Bernie’s.

Bernie’s mindful that her hands are currently wet from the washing up, so she very carefully wraps her arms around Serena’s back and kisses her back a good deal less gently. Serena moans, her left arm wrapping across Bernie’s upper back, while her right hand sinks into Bernie’s hair, eliciting what she considers to be an embarrassingly loud groan.

“Forget the washing up, I want you to take me to bed,” Serena tells her, her voice as husky as Bernie’s had been moments before.

“I – um – I’d love to, but I really don’t want to waste this hot water,” Bernie says apologetically.

Serena huffs a laugh. “You have a point, I suppose. Very well, I’m going to lock up, then head upstairs. Don’t be long.”

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Bernie promises. She forces herself to focus on the washing up and not on watching Serena saunter out of the kitchen with an exaggerated swaying of her hips, though she catches a brief glimpse. She hears Serena locking the front door, then her footsteps going upstairs as she swiftly washes up. She empties the bowl of water, cleans the sink and bowl, then dries her hands. She checks that the kitchen door into the garden is locked, then she hurries out of the kitchen, remembering to turn off the light as she goes.

Within minutes of Serena’s departure she’s upstairs and as she reaches the landing and turns off the light Serena calls, “I’ve got your things in here.”

“Thank you,” Bernie says, stepping into the bedroom. “Oh!” She stops dead just inside the door, staring in amazement at the sight of Serena clad only in stockings and suspender belt, knickers and bra. Her dress is on a hanger hooked over the wardrobe door and she’s just cleaning the make up off her face with make up wipes.

“Alright, soldier?” Serena asks in a teasing tone.

“I – um – yes,” Bernie says, and begins to get undressed. 

She hangs up her costume top, then strips off her t-shirt, then pauses at her vest before swallowing and removing that, too. It’s silly to be shy about her scars when she and Serena have shared a locker room on several occasions since she started working on AAU. She still doesn’t look at Serena as she slides out of her jeans, then pulls off her socks. She’s just straightening up again, clad only in her ever practical bra and boxer shorts, when Serena comes to stand in front of her. 

“C’mon,” she says softly. “Let’s get that make up off your face.” She clasps Bernie’s wrist, then slides her hand down to tangle their fingers together and leads her over to the dressing table. She guides Bernie to sit down, then grabs a couple of the wipes and cleans the blood drop off the corner of her mouth. Bernie can’t help thinking about how, only a few hours ago, she was desperately trying not to look down the front of Serena’s dress as her friend applied the make up to her face, and now her friend is standing in front of her in only her underwear and stockings. It feels a bit surreal, but not unpleasantly so.

When Serena’s finished she closes the small gap between them and kisses Bernie. It starts out soft and sweet but rapidly turns heated and when Serena clasps her hands and tugs, indicating that Bernie should stand up, she obeys, then allows herself to be led over to Serena’s astonishingly luxurious bed. 

“I’ll be gentle with you,” she says.

Bernie raises her eyebrows. “And what if I don’t want you to be?”

Serena smirks. “Then I’ll be anything but.”

Bernie forgets her shyness at the sight of that smirk and without giving the matter further thought, she pounces, pushing the brunette down onto the bed, then climbing up beside her and pressing her mouth to Serena’s.

As they kiss, Bernie slides her hands beneath the brunette’s body and unhooks her bra, then draws the straps down her arms and pulls it off, all without breaking the kiss.

“Show off,” Serena mutters against her mouth.

Bernie smirks, then begins kissing a path along Serena’s jaw, pausing to nuzzle behind her ear, then she kisses down her throat, with another pause to lick at the hollow of her throat, then her mouth continues down onto the swell of one of Serena’s breasts. She looks up, eyebrows raised in question and Serena gives a sharp nod before Bernie’s mouth engulfs her lover’s breast and suckles hard.

“Oh fuck, Bernie!” Serena’s gasp of shock thrills Bernie and she happily increases the strength of her sucking before switching to Serena’s other breast. Then she kisses a path down over Serena’s belly, swirling her tongue around her naval, before looking up again as she hooks her fingers into the waistband of Serena’s knickers.

“Okay?” she murmurs.

“Please,” Serena says, sounding desperate. And indeed, Bernie can see the damp spot on the front of her lacy knickers. She feels a certain thrill of power at knowing that she was the one who did that, and she draws Serena’s knickers down and off, dropping them onto the floor. 

“I think I’m going to leave your stockings on for now,” Bernie tells her in a low voice, feeling a throb of want between her own legs at the sight of her lover wearing only stockings and suspenders, the curls of her untamed bush already damp with anticipation. She clasps Serena’s ankles and slides her hands slowly up her legs to her knees, then she lifts her right leg and places a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the back of Serena’s knee, eliciting a moan from the other woman. She lowers Serena’s right leg, then lifts the left and repeats the kiss, her eyes fixed firmly on her lover’s face. Then she slides her hands up to the tops of the stockings and licks a stripe up her thighs, one after the other, alongside the suspender straps. 

“You are so gorgeous,” Bernie tells her. “So utterly, intoxicatingly sexy, and I am so looking forward to watching you come apart.”

Serena looks stunned and Bernie’s smirks, then lowers her head, gently pushing her lover’s thighs wider apart. She blows a gentle stream of air against Serena’s clit, then lowers her mouth and suckles, just as she had with her lover’s breasts. A hand tangles in her hair, then pushes on her head, and Bernie can’t hold back a chuckle, which causes Serena to moan.

She slides a finger inside her lover’s slick heat, followed quickly by a second when Serena gasps “More”. She keeps her mouth on her clit as she slides her fingers in and out, then Serena clutches at her hair and demands, “More” again. Ever the dutiful soldier, Bernie adds a third finger and it’s not long after that that she feels Serena’s muscles beginning to tighten. She lifts her head, her gaze intent on her lover’s face as Serena’s orgasm begins; she was right, watching the other woman fall apart at her hands and mouth is an exquisite pleasure.

She gentles Serena through the aftershocks of her orgasm, then crawls up the bed to settle cross legged beside her hip and begins unhooking the suspenders from Serena’s stockings. Once she’s divested her of both stockings and suspender belt, she bends down and kisses gently across the tops of Serena’s thighs, along the line where her stockings had stopped. 

When she sits back up she discovers Serena’s used her distraction to unfasten her bra and she chuckles lightly at the discovery.

“Now, it’s my turn,” Serena says firmly.

“It’s not about taking turns,” Bernie says gently. “I don’t keep score.”

“Nevertheless, I’d like you to lie down now.”

“Okay.” Bernie moves around, lying down next to her lover, who immediately divests her of her boxer shorts.

“They’re quite damp,” Serena observes as she tosses them onto the floor with the rest of their underwear.

“That’s what making love to a gorgeous woman does to me,” Bernie tells her sincerely.

Serena’s face pinks at this, then she starts to move down between Bernie’s legs.

“Fingers first, please,” Bernie asks, clasping her arm.

“Oh. Don’t you – don’t you like oral?”

“I do, but I’d like you to kiss me and use your fingers first, please.”

“Okay.”

Serena settles on her side next to Bernie and leans in to kiss her; she happily kisses the brunette back, then she lightly clasps Serena’s wrist and guides her hand to where she wants it.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Bernie says, pulling back a little. “I just find it more comfortable to guide you.”

“It’s your body,” Serena tells her, “and you know it best.”

“Thank you.”

Serena quickly learns just how Bernie likes to be touched and just as quickly sends her over the edge.

“Oh,” she says, clearly a bit disappointed.

“Sorry,” Bernie mutters, feeling embarrassed at the speed of her release. “It’s just – uh – you got me rather wound up, or rather it got me rather wound up to watch you when I – um – when I made love to you.”

“It’s fine,” Serena says quickly, but Bernie’s not sure it is fine, particularly when Serena almost immediately decides that she wants to have a shower before they sleep.

As soon as the door to the ensuite closes Bernie presses her forearm over her eyes, feeling the prickle of tears, and heaves a sigh. Alex had been the same, always disappointed by how responsive Bernie was, how quickly she was brought to a climax. Even Marcus had been less than impressed, behaving as though Bernie was somehow at fault. 

As soon as she hears the shower start up, she swings off the bed and pulls on the pair of grey jogging trousers and the white vest top she usually wears in bed, then she gathers up her clothes and grabs the garment carrier with her costume in it, before carrying everything off to the spare room she’d used the night before. Then she climbs into bed and rolls to face away from the door. Within moments she’s sound asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bernie wakes early the next morning and she dresses quickly, then packs the remainder of her clothes in her kitbag. She carries it and the garment carrier downstairs, slipping the cape inside, before hanging the carrier on the coat hook where her coat is hanging. 

She pads, sock clad, into the kitchen and sets about making herself a cup of coffee, hoping that Serena won’t begrudge her that.  
She’s drinking it while staring out of the kitchen window into the garden when a voice startles her badly enough that she almost spills her coffee.

“Running out on me, Major? Not very gallant of you.”

“Could you wear louder shoes next time?” Bernie asks, having bitten back a string of curse words.

Serena raises an eyebrow, staring pointedly, and Bernie sighs. “I just thought it might be better to get out of the way, let you get on with your day.”

“And what about last night?”

Bernie shrugs, fidgeting with her now empty mug. “We don’t have to mention it again, if that’s what you prefer. No one needs to know.”

“But it’s not what I prefer.” Serena moves into Bernie’s personal space, taking the empty mug from her and putting it aside, before sliding her arms up over Bernie’s shoulders and pressing herself against the blonde’s body. “Why did you run away to the spare room last night?”

Bernie swallows hard. “Thought you’d prefer to have your bed to yourself.”

“You seem to have done a lot of thinking on my behalf,” Serena says and for all that she’s pressing herself against Bernie’s body, the blonde can hear the annoyance in her voice. “In future, I’d prefer you to talk to me instead of thinking for me. Understood?”

“‘In future’?” Bernie repeats, hardly daring to hope Serena means what she seems to mean.

“I didn’t intend last night to be a one-off. Unless you’re only interested in a one night stand?” 

Bernie shakes her head emphatically. “No. No, that’s – that’s not what I want.”

“Good. So, in future, don’t make assumptions about what I want or how I feel. Ask me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Bernie whispers.

“Good.” Serena presses her lips to Bernie’s and her left arm automatically wraps around the brunette, while her right hand toys with the hair at the back of her neck. 

When they pull apart for air, Serena gives her a stern look. “Be clear, Berenice Wolfe, that I want you.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Serena drops the arm that’s been wrapped around Bernie’s upper back to swat at her arse. “Cheeky,” she says, but there’s fondness in her voice.

“I am sorry,” Bernie says.

“About what?”

“About last night. Being too quick off the mark. I usually am. And – um – and about running away to the spare room.”

Serena sighs. “Well, I’m sorry that I made you feel bad by my response to the speed of your climax. That was unkind.”

Bernie shakes her head. “It’s fine. Honestly, you didn’t react any more badly than either Marcus or Alex.”

“Ouch.”

Bernie frowns at her in confusion.

“It’s hardly good for my ego to be compared to Marcus Dunn,” Serena says. 

“Oh. No. You weren’t as bad as Marcus, I promise you.”

“That’s hardly a ringing endorsement.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Look, come back to bed with me, will you? Please? You’re the first woman I’ve ever been sexually intimate with and I’d like to explore that more with you.”

“Okay.” Bernie lets Serena tangle their fingers together, before following her out of the kitchen, along the hall and up the stairs to Serena’s room.

As Serena closes her bedroom door behind them, Bernie can’t help asking, “When are you expecting Jason?”

Serena smiles. “He won’t be home until dinner time. We’ve got hours yet to do some exploring together.” She draws Bernie in for a tender kiss. “And I promise to feed you, too.”

“Thank you.” Bernie lets Serena undress her. She feels slightly more nervous about this in the cold light of day, but her desire for Serena remains unabated and she’s ready for her to take charge.

“I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“Don’t be.”


End file.
